“A farmer planted
seed. As he scattered the seed, some of
it fell on the road, the birds ate it.
Some fell in the gravel; it sprouted quickly but didn’t put down roots,
so when the sun came up it withered just as quickly. Some fell in the weeds; as it came up, it was
strangled by the weeds. Some fell on
good earth, and produced a harvest beyond his wildest dreams” (Mark 4:3-8
MSG)
Hey Gang: The Plain
People (Amish) have a saying that all should put on our bathroom mirror and
refrigerator door. It goes like this, “Actions
speak louder than words, Kind actions begin with kind thoughts”. They are
also firm believers of “Do all the good
you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places
you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as you
can”.
That is true seed planting that will return to you with
bountiful dividends. Jesus said, “You will know
them by their fruits” (Matt. 7:16).
I have written several blogs that focus on God’s irrevocable
law “You will reap what you sow”. If you stick your finger in the fire, you are
going to get burned – every time. If you
fill your lungs with smoke and your stomach with rot-gut booze, you are going
to pay the piper down the road. But, also can be far more lethal is what you
allow to enter your mind.
The Bible is filled- cover to cover- with advice, teachings
and even warnings about the dangers of tampering with God’s laws. This morning I want to share four prerequisites
to live an effective life for Christ and living a healthy life that is Christ
centered.
The first was penned by Dr. Luke in Luke 6:38, “Give, and it will
be given to you, They will pour into your lap a good measure – pressed down,
shaken together, and running over, For by your standard of measure it will be
measured to you in return”.
wo very important words are found in Dr.
Luke’s words: – give and measure. Simply
stated, if you do not give, it cannot be returned to you. Jesus said we will be blessed in the same
measure that we give. Which means you
will be blessed in the same manner that you give.
The second prerequisite, it makes a difference where you sow. In the Scripture of the morning we find four
examples of the seed planter’s planting program. They are not all good, but one is. In teaching this principle I have suggested
that parents be aware that one must teach three positives for each negative in
order to neutralize and overcome the influences of the world and the evil one.
For you who have children and are not
familiar with Deuteronomy 6:4-9, I strongly suggest that when you complete
reading this epistle, you immediately turn to that portion of Scripture and get
it firmly planted in your heart and head.
The third prerequisite is “you will reap more than you sow”. In Matthew 13:8 Jesus taught that some of the
seeds fell on the good soil and yielded a crop; some a hundred fold, some sixty and some thirty.” When I shared this message with the boys at
the Village, I always picked the largest boy and asked him, "If I hit you in the
nose what would you do?" His answer was
usually, "Punch you back, When I asked him how many times, he said “As many times
as I can”. My response, “That is more
than I sowed”.
The final prerequisite is a wonderful promise from our Lord
that is found in 2 Corinthians 9:6-11.
Although every word in this passage of Scripture is very important, the
first three verse are especially powerful.
“Now this I say, he who sows
sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap
bountifully. Each one must do just as he
has purposed in his heart not grudgingly or under compulsion for God loves a
cheerful giver. And God is able to make
all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything,
you may have an abundance for every good deed.”
My friends, there is one more prerequisite to the Seed
Planting Parable. It is found in Revelation 3:20 and is key to its
implementation, Jesus said “I stand at the door, your door, and knock, and keep knocking;
if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I (the Master Harvester) will come into him, and dine with him, and he with Me”.
That, my friends is a promise from
Jesus Christ, God’s Son. That, my friends, is an irrevocable promise from God.
Blessings,
Gramps
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